1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to wall-mounting panels for supporting various components and devices, and more particularly to a device for mounting and supporting electrical equipment upon an exterior wall of a static structure such as a building. In a most particular embodiment, the invention pertains to wall-mount panels for electrical meters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various utilities are provided to most residences and businesses. Water, electricity, heating and air conditioning, cables for video and computer communications, and other similar utilities may be provided from an exterior source through the walls and into an interior of a building structure. Depending upon the building structure, various accommodations must be made to provide appropriate support for the utility link at the exterior surface of the building. Several of the utilities are provided with meters which may be used for measuring and billing purposes, and these meters must also be supported upon the building exterior. Unfortunately, not all building structures provide suitable mounting surfaces for these various utility connections and meters.
One approach to the installation of the various service connections and meters has been to attach these components directly to the structural components of the building, such as lumber or metal studs within a wall. Unfortunately, these various components tend to have very irregular outlines, or footprints, upon the wall. When exterior siding is applied to cover the wall, the siding material must then be cut to conform to the irregular pattern. This is difficult to do, and adds unwanted expense. This type of installation is also a source for problems such as moisture leaks and the like. The problem will only be worse if the device later requires replacement with a component having a larger or smaller dimension.
Some attempts have been made to mount various service components and utilities to the exterior siding of a building. Exterior siding is often decorative in nature, and most commonly presents a very irregular surface. For example, many residences are sided with lap siding, which presents a surface which, in cross-section, has a saw-tooth appearance. Irregular surfaces are much more difficult to mount utility connections and meters onto than flat surfaces, and this lap siding makes mounting relatively more difficult. Besides the possibility of an irregular surface, siding may also be manufactured from many different materials and thicknesses, some which may be more or less suitable for mounting. Some types of siding are relatively easily damaged during the installation of fasteners such as screws or nails, and this damage may lead to premature corrosion, rotting, decay, or the like. For example, steel siding requires very particular handling to prevent the loss of zinc or other galvanic coatings, and improper drilling or sawing will remove the coating and lead to premature rusting. Various woods or composites must be very carefully sealed to prevent moisture from penetrating into the region adjacent the fastener. Other types of siding are not physically strong and rigid enough to support a utility connection or meter, and may in fact distort during or subsequent to installation. Yet other siding is so solid or dense as to present a surface which is extremely difficult to directly fasten into, such as brick or stone.
The vast array of materials and geometries of exterior building surfaces has always presented a challenge to the introduction of various utilities into the building interiors. Further compounding this difficulty is the fact that these utility service components are occasionally in need of repair or replacement. Even when an installation has been performed successfully, later removal of components for service or replacement is difficult. Consequently, the underlying static structure may still be damaged.
Various artisans have sought to provide mounting plates or panels which provide a flat surface of predictable composition, act as a mounting support for the utility and meter and provide for removal and replacement of certain components, such as electrical meters, without adversely affecting the underlying building surface. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,134,257 to Chase; U.S. Pat. No. 1,511,636 to Rypinski; U.S. Pat. No. 1,601,606 to Waller; U.S. Pat. No. 1,606,893 to Palmer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 1,739,142 to Hill et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,966,301 to Lewis, each incorporated herein by reference, illustrate various panels which support meters against a static structure. These panels permit a meter to be mounted and removed for servicing or replacement with minimal disturbance or disruption of the building wall underlying the mounting panel. Nevertheless, and particularly with the advent of newer siding materials including steel and vinyl lap siding, these panels have not proved to be satisfactory in the field. Consequently, new mounting panels have been sought which may provide improved attachment between the underlying building and such devices as electrical meters or the like.
Several more recent mounting panels are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,598,670 and 5,722,208 to Humphrey et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,786 to Gretz, the contents of each incorporated herein by reference. In the Humphrey et al patents, special flanges are provided that are designed to receive siding, such as various lap siding, within or partially sandwiched by the flanges. Beneficially, these flanges allow significant tolerances in the cutting of the siding material, since the flanges tend to conceal any imperfections or discrepancies between the mounting panels and siding. Unfortunately, not all types of siding may be sufficiently thin to pass between the flanges, or, where the flanges are designed larger, some types of siding will look inappropriate within the large flanges. Moreover, some types of siding such as brick or stone, may not be suited at all for this type of mounting panel. Consequently, the use of the Humphrey et al flanges undesirably limits the application for these panels. In the Gretz patent, a two-piece siding box is configured for custom applications such as outlets, switches or light fixtures. Nevertheless, no means is provided for planar mounting of a variety of utilities or service components, nor is there any provision for extending the Gretz component to multiple support surfaces. Consequently, the Gretz panel is limited strictly to a single, relatively small component for which the panel was designed.
What is desired then is a mounting panel which, through only minor modification not requiring additional tooling or inventory, is suitable for use with an exceptional range of building exterior materials and geometries, and which will accommodate a wide range of components. Most particularly, a simple-to-install panel having these and other characteristics outlined herein below has been demanded by people in the field for many years. The prior inventions have not fully addressed each of the needs of the people. The present invention not only fulfills these characteristics, but provides exceptional and novel further benefits.
In a first manifestation, the invention is a mounting panel for supporting diverse components upon a surface. First and second edges extend from the surface. A means is provided for guiding a fastener into the first edge, and a means is provided for reinforcing the second edge for receiving a second fastener. There is additionally a flange extending parallel to the surface but offset therefrom.
In a second manifestation, the invention is a wall-mount panel in combination with a removably mounted electrical meter, the combination engaged with an exterior building vertical wall.
The wall mounted panel has a planar and consistent surface which will receive a first fastener at any point and onto which the electrical meter may operatively be fastened. Four edges extend from the surface normal thereto, and form a rectangular perimeter about the surface. A means is provided for guiding a second fastener into one of the four edges from a direction normal thereto. The guiding means has two spaced ridges and defines a valley therebetween. A second elevated portion extends partially and not completely between the two ridges, thereby creating a low region between ridges. The low region is dimensioned to receive a fastener without the fastener passing through the spaced ridges. A means is also provided for reinforcing one of the edges for receiving a fastener. The fastener guiding means and reinforcing means are aligned along opposed edges and align when two of said wall mount panels are placed immediately adjacent each other. Four relatively planar flanges each have a connection to ones of the four edges, and extend parallel to the surface. Nevertheless, they are offset therefrom in a direction normal to the surface, and each extend from the four edges in different directions. At least one of the flanges has a tab comprising a region which is thinner than the thickness of a remainder of the flange, and has a notch separating the tab from the remainder of the flange. Additional features are contemplated, including the further combination of an additional electrical component, and an additional electrical meter.
In a third manifestation, the invention is an expandable mounting panel for mounting electrical meters and the like. Two adjacent, like modules, each have flanges for attachment to a building surface and a surface raised from the flanges for supporting various electrical components including electrical meters. A first engaging tab on one of the modules contacts an engaging tab on the other module along a first axis. A first abutting edge on one of the modules contacts a second abutting edge on the other of the modules along a second axis. The second axis is different from and not parallel to the first axis.
A first object of the invention is to provide a mounting surface onto which various components may be readily affixed. A second object of the invention is to enable this mounting surface to be installed easily. A third object of the invention is to enable this surface to be installed at any angle, upon a wide variety of surfaces including but not limited to floors, interior walls and exterior walls. A further object of the invention is to allow this surface to be installed prior to the time of installation of siding materials, and make the installation of siding materials easier than without the present invention while simultaneously reducing calls back to the work-site for repair or touching-up imperfections. Another object of the invention is to enable the ganging of multiple mounting surfaces together to serve the function of a single, much larger mounting surface, so that different size requirements for planar mounting surfaces may be accommodated without the need for additional stock or inventory of parts. Yet a further object of the invention is the provision of a mounting surface which is readily mounted with exterior siding of diverse compositions and geometries, and which may be readily sealed therewith to provide a weather resistant moisture and insect barrier to a building exterior. These and other objects are achieved in the present invention, which will be best understood by illustration of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.